This photo of a male bobwhite was shared by Leslea Hodgson of Fountain, MN. Just a few weeks ago, she heard what she thought was someone whistling for a lost dog. Instead, she found this beautiful male bobwhite and was able to capture this remarkable picture! This is a two-part blog, which will remind you of our Minnesota Quail Forever Banquet on August 15, but also shares three very proactive things best done in August (before a busy autumn) to help upland birds survive our

Everyone attending this year’s upcoming Metro Quail Forever banquet (August 15) will be indirectly supporting our New Stewardship Initiative – “Improving Conditions” as it relates to our human and natural resources. Far too many of our youth are facing serious problems like depression, attempted suicide, broken homes, gang violence, etc. We feel this doesn’t have to go on like this. Youth getting involved with this New Stewardship Initiative can be helped. This new initiative

Recently, local resident Tammy Boldt was approved for the largest EQIP-RCPP pollinator project in the entire state of Minnesota! The Environmental Quality Incentive Program, or EQIP, is a USDA – NRCS Farm Bill conservation program that aims to target resource concerns, whether soil erosion, water quality concerns, or in this case, restoring and improving wildlife habitat for the benefit of pollinators. Funding for this particular project has been made available through the RC

With all the rains we’ve had in southeast Minnesota, and across the state, you can imagine that the foliage is thick and insects (a critical protein source) are abundant. It’s true! The food supply is at its peak and quail that survived this hard winter are eating better than they have at any other time in 2019. In addition to a hearty supply of insects, berries, clover and seeds, bobwhite quail need small, open patches of exposed soil for a couple of reasons: A. They need ac

The USDA has recently released the important news that will allow Edge Feathering to be a payable practice for our EQIP conservation program and associated practices. This momentous decision has huge significance for wildlife, especially for bobwhite quail, ring-neck pheasants, songbirds, rabbits, rodents, insects, etc. I have recently schedule Edge Feathering - Early Successional Habitat Management (practice 647) for the very first time in conjunction with our Conservation C

Is anyone sick of winter, yet? Or, is it just me? Just a few days ago, I did a rather thorough review of my property and quickly realized how desperate the situation had become for our quail, pheasants and even songbirds. The snow is incredibly deep and even our south-facing slopes, which can usually warm and melt quickly, are no where near being able to provide a refuge for these birds. It is alarming! And the forecast for the next few days looks like even more snow coming!!

All upland birds and songbirds need a blend of carbohydrates and proteins – much like you and I. Yet, during the winter months, important proteins can become a bit too scarce for birds to maintain peak health. Corn feeders are easy. But for all birds, corn is a carbohydrate with a handful of not incredibly useful calories – much like popcorn for you and me. We could live for a while on popcorn, but would we be truly healthy? We need to think more seriously about proteins for

Recently, significant statewide recognition in conservation achievement was given, and a particularly prestigious award was presented from Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to one of our excellent, local QF members, Mark Kolsrud. In an applicant pool with dozens of other ambitious conservationists seeking the title throughout the entire state of Minnesota, the Gold Standard Landowner Award was won by this outstanding outdoorsman. Mark is an extraordinary man, conservationis

With the heavy snows seen in February across the state, but especially the southern part of Minnesota, pheasants, bobwhite quail and many songbirds are now struggling. In fact, any that have survived are likely weakened and in need of a little help to stay alive until the south-facing slopes can melt a bit and expose some basic food sources. Here’s a very simple thing you can do to help these upland birds out right now. I’d suggest striving to jump on this task before the com

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Apologies to the Author: The webmaster received this article from Paul Schutte on April 13, 2018, but failed to post it until June 20 - when summer is now finally underway. Perhaps this inadvertent delay was helpful for those that were distraught by those heavy snows in mid April. For some reason this year the calendar says spring, but looking outside old man winter just does not want to let go this year. Many migratory bird species will be returning and mating rituals will t

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For allergy sufferers, ragweed is the most miserable plant on the planet. For farmers, ragweed is pure evil. Even for landowners, a ragweed plant is spotted, and many run for their weed killers. What's more, most county weed inspectors look at ragweed with disdain. What if your friendly Quail Forever team were to provide you with a little paradigm shift today? Are you ready? Ragweed is not all that bad. In fact, it is quite a GOOD plant to have. Here are some surprising point

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